Friday, September 23, 2011

Patchwork Corgi and Pig-date

Poor Bug. He has bacterial dermatitis which is a precursor to a hot spot. The spot on his lower back was shaved and cleaned last night. This morning he was going after his tail and I saw blood. I shaved that spot down, too, and cleaned it. Fortunately the vet gave me a topical anesthetic spray. Once I sprayed his tail with the topical anesthetic he has left it alone.

Needless to say I have scrapped the grains! I am going to buy some squash and sweet potatoes at the supermarket. I also just bought a boatload of quinoa (dirt cheap) via a local co-op so I will try some of that for him too.

I will also think about a new more sensitive shampoo for him.

The bloodwork is a bit of a mystery. His liver enzymes were elevated (GGT and bilirubin), so we are going back for an ultrasound this afternoon (more shaving!). Many things (that aren't that alarming) could cause the enzymes to be elevated - it could be casued by the weight loss itself! So which caused which? I have many more questions than answers at this point.

Hopefully we will not see anything alarming like a growth, etc. I know the elevated enzymes can be treated fairly easily.

He was very stress-y at the vet's office yesterday. He is usually a model patient, so I must assume his behavior was related to how he physically feels and my stress level. Needless to say my stress level is a bit high. :O)

Oh the g-pig front, I have decided to adopt a senior guinea pig to keep Zeek company. I truly do not feel, in my gut, that there is anything physically wrong with him. I really think he is broken hearted over the loss of his companion.

He has a vet appointment today and I am meeting a friend's mum who raises g-pigs tomorrow. She has two g-pigs she thinks might work for Zeek - one is a sow and one is an undersized boar. If that doesn't work out the Boston MSPCA has multiple seniors. The only issue I forsee with the MSPCA's seniors is that they are all male. Zeek is neutered (he came neutered from the shelter), so there is a chance he could live happily with another male. Two intact males will fight all the live-long-day.

There you have it. Hopefully I will have good news later today and the mystery of Bug's weight loss and liver enzymes will be solved! Or at least closer to a conclusion.

About Me

Homeopathy Blog for the Boy

Ike

Silvermist Icebreaker NAC, CL1-R CL1-H (CGC TDI)

Ike is the first dog that is purely my own. We have overcome some big hurdles with his fear of people (how can you avoid them!) and continue to work on building our confidence in the sport of agility. Ike takes life at a much slower speed than I do, which is a challenge. My goal for our partnership is to figure out a sport or joint activity that Ike and I can enjoy equally and excel at together. This would be in addition to Ike's #1 sport, lounging on the couch; which I don't really enjoy or excel at.

Carmen

Carmen is a 9 yo salt-n-pepper Miniature Schnauzer from the same breeder as Ike. I started working with Carmen in the winter of '08 after my DH told me we could not get another dog until the end of 2008 (enter Bug 5/08). Little did I know how much joy she would take in agility and what a spitfire she would be. We are having a ton of fun working together. Unfortunately, Carmen was diagnosed with PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) in 10/08 and has been retired as her vision continues to change.

Bug (Honor)

CH Visions Cornerstone Dream On (CGC) TN-N

Bug (fka Honor) is a 5 year old CWC. He is a blue merle with tan points, a LOVELY temperament and a great work ethic. He finished his AKC championship 7/3/2010. Bug is looking forward to playing in Rally Obedience and tracking/Noseworks.